United Earth

United Earth (Polish: Zjednoczony Świat) is a public artwork by Tomasz Urbanowicz and Beata Urbanowicz in the Agora of the Seat of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.[1] The glass sculpture has a diameter of 180 cm (71 in) and symbolizes the idea of openness to further expansion of the European Union in order to create a united world.[2]

United Earth
Glass artwork United Earth in the agora of European Parliament in Strasbourg
ArtistTomasz Urbanowicz
Completion date2004
TypeSculpture
MediumGlass art
Dimensions180 cm diameter (71 in)
Weight700 kg (1,500 lb)
LocationStrasbourg
Coordinates48.597528°N 7.768556°E / 48.597528; 7.768556
OwnerEuropean Parliament in Strasbourg

History

The sculpture was first created in 1999 as part of the "Urbanowicz - Glass" exhibition in the Museum of Architecture in Wrocław,[3] which represented the glass art portfolio of Beata and Tomasz Urbanowicz.[4] The artwork represented Poland at the international exhibition EXPO 2000 in Hanover, as part of the regional presentation of Lower Silesia.[5] The glass sphere was recognized by The Corning Museum of Glass in New York as one of the hundred most outstanding glass works in the world in New Glass Review 21.[6] In 2003 the artwork, also called "Archikula", was exhibited at the "Glass Universe" exhibition in the gardens of the Polish Embassy in Prague.[7] The following year sculpture took part in the "ST'ART" art fair in Strasbourg.[8] Since 2004, the glass sphere has been a permanent element of the European Parliament's agora in Strasbourg,[9][10][11] after approval by the Louise Weiss building's architects - Architecture-Studio from Paris. The sculpture is a gift from the City of Wrocław to the European Parliament after Poland's accession to the European Union.[12]

Artist
Main article: Tomasz Urbanowicz

I have a great satisfaction because the architects from the Architecture-Studio in Paris, who designed the building first thought it was already a finished work and nothing could possibly be added to it. When the idea of placing the glass sphere in the very center of Agora arose, they were surprisingly quite enthusiastic about this project. The glass sphere, together with the circular illumination turned out to be the missing complement to the work of architects.

— Tomasz Urbanowicz, Glass in Architecture | Interview by Patrycja Fabiańska, Barwy Szkła, 2013

Bibliography
  • New Glass Review 21, The Corning Museum of Glass, New York, 2000, ISSN 0275-469X[6]
  • Durczak M., W Hanowerze, Dolny Śląsk na EXPO 2000, "Region Dolny Śląsk" (8/2000), Stowarzyszenie na Rzecz Promocji Dolnego Śląska, Wrocław, 2000, ISSN 1506-2929[5]
  • Maluga L., Formy szklane w przestrzeni architektonicznej (nowe realizacje Urbanowiczów), Archivolta 4/2005, ISSN 1506-5928[3]
  • Harasimowicz J., Suleja W.: Encyklopedia Wrocławia, Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie Sp. z o.o., 2006, ISBN 978-83-7384-561-9[1]
  • Cummings, K., Contemporary Kiln-formed Glass, London | Philadelphia, A & C Black Publishers Ltd. | University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009, ISBN 978-1-4081-0075-2[9]
  • Wala, E., Szkło we współczesnej architekturze, Wydawnictwo Politechniki Śląskiej, Gliwice, 2012, ISBN 978-83-7880-080-4[10]
  • Llewellyn D. J., The materials and processes suitable for the production of large scale three dimensional glass as exemplified in the work of Tomasz Urbanowicz, University of Wales Trinity St. David, Swansea, 2016[11]

References
  1. Harasimowicz, Jan; Suleja, Włodzimierz (2006). Encyklopedia Wrocławia (in Polish). Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie. p. 934. ISBN 9788373845619.
  2. "Wyborcza.pl". wroclaw.wyborcza.pl. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  3. Maluga, Leszek (2005). "Formy szklane w przestrzeni architektonicznej | Glass forms in architectural sites". Archivolta. 4(28)/2005: 70–73. ISSN 1506-5928.
  4. "Muzeum Architektury we Wrocławiu". ma.wroc.pl. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  5. Durczak, Mirosław (31 December 2000). "Region Dolny Śląsk nr 8/2000, Wydanie Milenijne" [In Hanover, Lower Silesia at the EXPO 2000] (PDF). Region Dolny Śląsk (in Polish). Stowarzyszenie na Rzecz Promocji Dolnego Śląska. 8/2000: 27–29. ISSN 1506-2929 – via Wrocław: Stowarzyszenie na Recz Promocji Dolnego Śląska.
  6. New Glass Review 21 (PDF). New York: The Corning Museum of Glass. 2000. p. 33. ISBN 0-87290-147-5. ISSN 0275-469X.
  7. "Tomasz Urbanowicz - Glass Universe". YouTube. 2012.
  8. "BWA WROCLAW". starastrona.bwa.wroc.pl. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  9. Cummings, Keith (2009). Contemporary Kiln-formed Glass | A World Survey. London | Philadelphia: A & C Black | University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 71, 102–103, 194–196. ISBN 9781408100752.
  10. Wala, Ewa (2012). Szkło we Współczesnej Architekturze | Glass in Comteporary Architecture. Gliwice: Wydawnictwo Politechniki Śląskiej. pp. 122, 175–179, 250. ISBN 978-83-7880-493-2.
  11. Llewellyn, David Jones (2016). "The materials and processes suitable for the production of large scale three dimensional glass as exemplified in the work of Tomasz Urbanowicz". BA (Hons) Dissertation: University of Wales Trinity St. David, Swansea.
  12. Urbanowicz, Konrad (May 2019). "15 years of Poland's membership in the EU, 15 years of the glass orb in the European Parliament – Archiglass". Retrieved 17 April 2020.
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